Abstract:
The following article presents a hypothesis which could explain a possible connection between the use of cathode ray tubes in color television sets and the etiology of allergic reactions to organic dust particles. This hypothesis is predominantly based on the well-known behavior of electrically charged dust particles in the electrostatic field and the so-called mirror charge effect which can be observed at conductive surfaces.
This article introduces the use of color television sets with cathode ray tubes as a possible cause of allergies to organic types of dust (e.g. house dust, pollen). The Coulomb force accelerating dust particles in an electrostatic field might play a major role in this context.
The screen surface of a cathode ray color television becomes positively charged short after switching the device on. The impacts of this positive surface-charge and its electrostatic field on a single organic dust particle are investigated in the following.
First, the organic dust particle, which is electrically neutral, moves in the space in front of the television screen. The switching on of the television leads to a positive surface-charge (electron deficiency) on the screen and consequently to an inhomogeneous electrostatic field in front of it.
The voltage of this electrostatic field which is generated by the high accelerating voltage of the cathode ray tube ranges approximately between 23 kV to 30 kV. The organic dust particles in this field are first polarized and then attracted to the television screen.
When touching the television screen, the polarized dust particle loses negative charges to the positively charged screen, such that it is then repelled away from the screen surface.
Due to the Coulomb force, the dust particle can be repelled at a fast speed away from the screen.
Some of the positively charged dust particles will then move towards the television viewers. Should such particle come close enough to an electrically conducting surface like the conjunctiva or the nasal mucous membrane, then it will be attracted by this surface due to the electrical influence or the mirror charge effect.
At the surfaces of the nose mucous membrane and the eye conjunctiva there are freely moving sodium and chloride ions. Therefore, a negative mirror charge is built on the mucous membrane directly beneath the positively charged dust particle due to electrical influence.
In this case the Coulomb force causes the acceleration of the electrically charged dust particle towards the mucous membrane. This means the electrical charge increases the probability for the attachment of the dust particle to the mucous membrane and potentially for its penetration into the mucous membrane.
The attraction, which works between an electrically charged dust particle and a mucous membrane surface, can be estimated with the assistance of the coulomb law (mirror charge method). The mirror charge effect however is effective just within a range of very small distances, so one can expect only in the direct proximity of the mucous membrane a definite acceleration of the electrically charged dust particle.
This effect could promote the aetiology of allergies against organic types of dust (e.g. allergic asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, house-dust allergy, hay-fever) by the increase of the statistic probability of an intensive contact between dust particles and mucous membrane surface.
If this hypothesis would be correct, it should be possible to prove a significant increase of allergies against organic types of dust coming along with the introduction of color televisions with cathode ray tubes. Therefore in the future it would be expected a reduction of the frequency from allergies, since in the forthcoming years the share of the market of color televisions with cathode ray tubes will decrease clearly.
Taking into account these described effects, the following questions should be clarified in the future:
Of which concentration is the amount of electrically charged dust particles near the front of the screen of the cathode ray tube of color televisions?
With which maximum speed does an electrically charged dust particle strikes on the surface of the conjunctiva or the nose mucous membrane?
How deeply can an electrically charged dust particle penetrate into the epithelium of the conjunctiva or the nose mucous membrane?
Which further factors (e.g. air humidity, soot particles) are influencing the described procedures?
In the past years different theories were claimed, which offer possible explanations for the increase of allergies against inhalant types of dust in industrial nations. The hypothesis presented here offers a possible explanation, which is based on a well-known physical effect (mirror charge effect, electrical influence). A possible connection between the spreading by color televisions and the increase of allergies is pointed out against inhalant organic types of dust. The effects described here predominantly arise with color televisions and with older computer screens with cathode ray tubes. With modern computer screens the electrostatic field is usually sufficiently shielded (TCO standards). With black/white televisions the charge of the surface is usually more weakly pronounced, since the accelerating voltage is here only with approximately 12 to 18 kV. The hypothesis presented here a possible explanation for the increase of allergies in the region of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR), which can be observed since the reunification of Germany.
After the reunification the number of the color televisions rose there and this circumstance could have contributed to an increase of allergies in this area.
Author:
Siegfried
Schmitt
Apartment XI/16
Mathystraße 14 - 16
76133 Karlsruhe
GERMANY
Siegfried.Schmitt@KALIV.DE
URLs:
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http://www.epidem.com/pt/re/epidemiology/abstract.00001648-200809000-00017.htm
Copyright © 2010 by Siegfried Schmitt